These No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Protein Cookies are vegan-friendly & gluten-free! Plus they’re super easy & taste better than your average store-bought bar.
Story time…Has anyone done a really stupid thing before…? (obviously the answer is yes, we all have…) And right before you’re about to do that stupid thing you get this feeling that what you’re about to do is not a good idea? There is this nagging feeling, a warning signal going off in your head and you hear a voice saying “I really don’t think this is a good idea… You might want to reconsider what is about to happen…” But then you do it anyways and immediately as it is happening you regret it…
Yeah, that was me this weekend as I was rinsing hydrogen peroxide solution on my contact then putting it directly into my eye. ( …Were you expecting something deep and profound? Nope, not today, folks. Just me being a straight-up idiot.) Probably one of the worst feelings ever is that incredible burning sensation in your eyeball. What is really stupid is I looked at the bottle and thought to myself “Hmmmm, I wonder if it is that solution that I’m supposed to let sit overnight? And I’m not supposed to use right away…” Glancing over the bottle, and completely ignoring the red label across the top, I just went ahead and disobeyed the clearly spelled out warning: “failure to follow instructions will result in burning and stinging sensation” Well sure enough, my eye hurt like a biyatch. And two days later it is still red. Has anyone else done this? Seriously the worst pain…
Then I went ahead and let my face get sun-burnt and I’m rocking an awesome sunglasses tan, AKA “racoon face”. So between my beet-red face, and beet-red eyeball, this girl is looking real fine these days…
ANYWAYS. That was fun. Now that we’re done with story time, let’s talk about these COOKIES.
No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Protein Cookies, to be exact.
Not only has it been way too long since I’ve made protein snacks for myself, but for you all as well!
After I made my summer berry salad, I had some dried cherries left over. Every time I opened the fridge I saw the bag in there, taunting me. Like I needed to figure out a way to use them up STAT. Of course they’d be fine in there for weeks… but for whatever reason I couldn’t stop thinking about those damn dried cherries. And then I remembered my chocolate cherry protein shake… which naturally led me to think about cookies. Shake = cookies? … I don’t know.
Anyways, the creation just happened, alright?!
what you need
- plant protein powder
- almond meal
- cacao or cocoa
- nut or seed butter
- brown rice syrup or honey
- coconut oil
- non-dairy milk
- dried cherries
And it was freaking awesome. And QUICK. If you haven’t tried making your own protein bars, you are missing out, my friends. My protein bar recipes like this take less than 5 minutes to throw together, and only about 15-20 minutes to set in the freezer.
The chocolate topping is optional, of course… Buutttt is it really??
Let’s be real.
No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Protein Cookies [ vegan, gluten-free ]
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 scoops (3/4 cup) plant protein powder (I used MRM Veggie Vanilla)
- ¼ cup almond meal (or flour)
- 2 TBS cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa)
- ½ cup natural nut or seed butter, no oil/sugar added (I used cashew)
- 3 TBS brown rice syrup (or honey if not strictly vegan)
- 1 TBS extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 3 TBS unsweetened non-dairy milk*
- 1/3 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
- chocolate topping:
- 2 TBS dairy-free mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp extra virgin coconut oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine protein powder, almond meal, and cacao powder. Stir until well mixed and set aside.
- Add in nut or seed butter, brown rice syrup, and melted coconut oil. Stir gently until well combined.
- Add one tablespoon of milk at a time, until mixture forms into crumbled dough texture. Dough should be moist, but slightly crumbly. Stir in dried cherries, or use hands if necessary to make sure everything is well mixed at the end.
- Divide dough into 8 even pieces, about golf ball size, rolling into circle and shaping into flat cookie shape. Place on lined baking sheet, set aside.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil together, 10-30 seconds, in increments, until chocolate is completely melted. Use spoon to drizzle chocolate topping over cookies. Place baking sheet in freezer for 15 minutes, or fridge for 30 minutes and allow cookies and melted chocolate to set.
- Store cookies in airtight container in fridge up to 2 weeks, and in freezer well wrapped for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Notes
*Make sure to add milk only 1 TBS at a time, stirring in between. All protein powders are different and will absorb liquid differently.
–This recipe is adapted from my Mint Chocolate Protein Bars, and can be easily made into bars or balls instead of cookie shape.
- Category: dessert
- Method: no-bake
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Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Ha! One time my friend borrowed my contact solution and it was the kind that you’re supposed to sit overnight and she had no idea. Obviously she wanted to murder me for not telling her, but I told her it said it right on the bottle 😉 As for these cookies–YES to chocolate and cherry. They go so well together.
Ashley says
Lol it is SO obvious on the bottle it is not even funny. And I just 100% ignored it, lol. Gah. Glad I am not the only one 😉 Thanks Erin!
Christina @ The Blissful Balance says
My God lol that sounds absolutely terrible!! One time I sprayed perfume in my eye because I pulled a Dumb and Dumber and thought it was facing the other way. Yep. These look so good I need to make a no-bake dessert soon! (aka this one)
Ashley says
lol, I feel like I have done something like that before too. Thanks Christina! 🙂
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says
Oh my goodness, these no bake cookies are PERFECT for summer! I hate having my oven on during the summer months so these would be perfect to whip up. And that chocolate topping just takes it up another level 😉
Ashley says
I agree! I will still turn on the oven every once in a while, but only if I really have to/ can’t find a good no-bake recipe I want to make 😉
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
It’s been WAY too long since I’ve made homemade protein bars too. Thank you for reminding me just how delicious they are, especially your protein bar recipes!!! 🙂
Ashley says
Aw thank you Marina! 🙂
Emily says
Hehe, if I had time, the chocolate topping would not be optional. 😀 Also, oh boy, I have do too many stupid things. I think I’ve lost count, but I’m really sad that your eye is in so much pain Ashley… :'( I hope it feels better soon.
Ashley says
Aw thanks Emily! <3
rachel @ athletic avocado says
Oh no I feel your pain girl. Last week I was cutting dried chile peppers and decided to rub my eyes afterwords and it was sooooooooooo painful! Hope you feel better! At least you have these cookies to help you, can’t go wrong with chocolate and cherry, it’s like cherry garcia <3
Ashley says
it is THE worst, eye pain, ugh. Thanks lady! <3
Susie @ Suzlyfe says
I bet you still look hot 😀 And if all else fails, just carry around these and no one will notice, right?
Ashley says
bahaha, that’s the plan 😉
Ellie | Hungry by Nature says
It’s literally the WORST feeling in the world. One time I brought the same solution on an overnight trip, but forgot the case. Not thinking, I just used two shot glasses (ha!) to store my contacts overnight, completely forgetting the fact that you need the solution to be in an airtight container in order to work. So the contacts when in my eyes the next morning and burned like crazy! So awful. Hopefully your eyes will be feeling better my the end of the day!
Ashley says
Ah isn’t it terrible!? Will (hopefully) never make that same mistake again, ha. Thanks Ellie!
Cassie Autumn Tran says
I’ve definitely done reeeeeeeeeeally stupid things in the past. Microwaving a peanut butter jar, for instance–yeah, big no no! And guess what? I scratched my eye yesterday so one of my eyes looks a little smaller than the other now XD but ohhhh well!
So these cookies. I seriously cannot believe that they’re no-bake and totally easy to prepare! I’d probably be way too impatient not to eat them out of the bowl!
Ashley says
Ahh oh no! My sister has microwaved one of those travel mugs with metal on the inside. Pretty sure it caught on fire… lol.
I hope your eye feels better! –and seriously make these cookies, they’re so good!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
Seriously hope your eye is better that sounds so terrible!! I do stuff like that all the time, like who has time to read the instructions lol!! As far as these cookies, I’m now trying to decide if I make these instead of pack for my trip tomorrow. HMMMM we do need fuel for our travels!
Ashley says
MAKE DA COOKIES 😀 Thanks Sam 😉
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
Girl LASIK was worth every penny to not have to deal with contacts or glasses anymore. These cookies look amazing! P.S. Do you know your response comments don’t come through via email?
Ashley says
Gah I wish I could get LASIK.
— I was wondering about comments because I haven’t been getting other’s comments via email either! I’ll have to look at my plugin, I thought I just updated everything… thanks for the head’s up!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
Oh man contact pain is the worst! The other day I was driving and my contact started to irritate me and I seriously thought that I would have to pull over and figure things out.
Ashley says
Ah! That is terrifying. I always keep little contact solution in my purse or car in case that happens.
kat says
YIKES! Im sorry about your eye!! I can’t imagine how much that hurt. I wear contacts too, so I can only imagine! One of the dummest [at the time I thought it was pretty beast-mode] things I’ve done is shove mud into my bleeding leg while playing soccer. During soccer you have to come off the field if there is any blood on you and since it was the Championship game and I didn’t want to come out, I just grabbed a handful of mud and rubbed it all over my bleeding leg to hide/cover the blood. It worked great…until my mom made me SCRUB it clean to get all the dirt out. And this cut happened to cover my entire lower leg [from a slide tackle] so it wasn’t a minor scratch. It was like gravel against my leg and it hurt SO BAD. Learned my lesson there!
By the way, these cookies sound incredible! 😉
Ashley says
YIKES That sounds terrible! I played soccer too so I feel your pain. But never had to do anything like that.
Michele @ paleorunningmomma says
Now I need to make yours – they look awesome and I love cherries! Plus I always have protein powder to use up and cookies is the way to go for that!
Ashley says
Thanks so much Michele 😀
Kristy @ Southern In Law says
These look so chewy and delicious! Definitely the perfect on the go snack!
Ashley says
Yes totally! I am quite obsessed with they’re texture.
Allie @ Miss Allie's Kitchen says
Ugh, this one time I made a giant batch of super spicy chili and thought it would be a fantastic idea to take my contacts out, with jalapeno oils still probably on my fingers. Talk about feeling the burn. You’re not alone. And I’m SO pumped, I literally have all of these ingredients (minus the dried cherries but that’s an easy pick up) in my fridge/pantry as we speak. And I just ran out of protein muffins soo these will hopefully be next up!
Ashley says
Ahh yes you have to be so careful with chili and peppers too! I even touch my nose one time and it hurt so bad I literally blew bubbles into a cup of milk, not even kidding, lol.
Hope you love these cookies Allie! They have been such a good snack when I am craving chocolate (which is pretty much always…)
Annmarie says
Oh my, I am drooling and in aw as to how you got these to look so perfect! YUM!
Anna @ Anna Can Do It! says
Oh, I’ve done stuid things countless times…like don’t make peanut butter with hand blender, then try to pick out the stucked peanut pieces beside the blades with your finger while it’s still plugged in and your hand is still on the on/off button…I was lucky and got away with a cut!
Anyway, these no bake protein cookies looks amazing and with that drizzle of chocolate, I just drooling over them!
I hope your eyes are better now!
– Love, Anna
★★★★★
Ashley says
Oh my gosh! Your hand IN the blender?! YIKES.
-The chocolate drizzle just makes everything better 😀
Thanks for stopping by Anna!
Anna @ Anna Can Do It! says
Yep, in the blender..it most certainly wasn’t nice, but I was lucky 🙂 Couldn’t agree more, let’s drizle chocolate on everything :))